The Mastermind Retrival Job
by NCISgirl1527
Summary: Set after the Season two finale. Sophie and the team will stop at nothing to get their leader back. Where will this lead them and how will Nate and Sophie's relationship evolve? Nate/Sophie Enjoy!
1. A Job

_**This is my first attempt at a multichapter Leverage fic. It follows the season 2 finale. Please read and review.**_

_**Disclaimer: No they are not mine**_

_**Spoilers: The Maltese Falcon Job, The Future Job, The Two Live Team Job.**_

Eliot threw one last look back at Nate before stepping into the helicopter. The mastermind had sunk to the ground and the cops were closing in. As the helicopter rose into the air Eliot took his seat beside Hardison and put his head in his hands.

Parker was studding the floor of the helicopter. Hardison was staring at the control panel in the front. Sophie was staring out the window trying to cry. Eliot shook his head. They did not know Nate had been shot, but he would have to tell them.

--- --- ---

"Why?" Parker asked Eliot. "We could have gotten out of it. We've been in worse situations before. We could have gotten out of it."

"Parker," Eliot told her gently, "we were out numbered ten to one. We couldn't have gotten out."

"We could have," Parker told him stubbornly.

Eliot sighed. "He couldn't have," Eliot told her.

"What?" Parker said confused.

"Nate was shot," Eliot told Parker.

"What?" Sophie asked as her tea cup slipped from her hands and crashed to the floor splashing what had to be scalding tea and china shards over Sophie's feet, but she did not seem to notice.

Eliot looked at Sophie. He had not intended for her to tell her that way, but there was no way that he could pretend he had not just said it. "Nate was shot," Eliot told her softly.

"Where was he shot?" Sophie asked her composer slipping a little bit.

"In the chest," Eliot told her.

"How do you know any of this?" Sophie asked trying not to sound as desperate as she was.

"I helped you into the helicopter then I looked back at Nate and he was collapsed against the railing," Eliot explained.

"Why didn't you tell us when you got into the helicopter?" Sophie asked.

"You would have want to go back," Eliot said,

"Of course I would have," Sophie replied almost angrily, "I would never have just left Nate there if I knew he was hurt."

"He wanted us to leave without him," Eliot reminded the grifter, "He knew that if he came with us he would be a liability."

"I don't care," Sophie told Eliot, "We are a team. We don't leave each other behind."

Sophie started to walk towards the living room but yelped in pain as she took a step. She had completely forgotten about the broken teacup. She nearly fell but Eliot caught her, and carried her over to a stool. "Stay there," he told her as he went to get the first aid kit. "Parker make sure she doesn't move," Eliot directed the thief who nodded.

There was silence for a couple of seconds. "Nate missed you," Parker told Sophie. "When you were gone. I mean we all missed you. There were a lot of times we wanted you to be there. Tara was a good grifter but she wasn't a good Sophie."

"A good Sophie?" the grifter asked.

"Yea," Parker said, "your always there to make sure nothing bad happens and if it does you make it okay. Like the psychic."

"The psychic?" Sophie asked.

"We ran a con against phony psychic," Eliot explained as walked back into the room, "he ran scams on people but when Nate and Parker were checking him out he did a cold read on Parker."

The grifter looked at the thief who had suddenly vanished and was cleaning up the china and tea from the kitchen floor.

"Eliot," Sophie asked slowly, "What did he figure out about Parker?"

"Her brother was killed at a young age and feels like it was her fault," Eliot told Sophie quietly, "It spooked her pretty badly. Now this might hurt a little bit but hold still."

Sophie nodded as he pulled a shard of china out her foot. He then quickly bandaged her foot so that the bleeding would stop. "Thank you," Sophie told him gingerly putting her weight on it.

"No problem." There was a pause and Sophie was almost to the door before Eliot spoke again. "Nate wanted us to be safe," Eliot told her, "He wanted all of us to be safe but especially you, Sophie."

Sophie nodded before disappearing down the hall into her room. Closing the door behind her, she sat down on the bed and stared out the window at the Vermont countryside. She had failed the team when she left because as she had told Eliot, team members don't leave each other behind. She had left the team. Sending Tara had been her solution and that worked all right because the team trusted Sophie not to send them someone who would kill them but Tara, as Parker had put it, was not a Sophie. Actually if Sophie was completely honest with herself that was part of the reason why she sent Tara.

She did not want to run the risk that the team would become to close to Tara and not want Sophie back when she was ready. They were, as Nate had told them, the only family she had known in a long time. She realized now that there would always be a space for her on the team. Nate would always make sure of that. Nate! Her thoughts returned to the all too painful subject of the teams leader and mastermind. He was somewhere alone and bleeding. Actually, he probably was pretty well guarded in the hospital because they needed his information.

Nate was the one who always came up with the plans and led the team and made sure everyone got home at the end of the day. Now he was the one who was missing and someone needed to save him. She could not shake the feeling that this whole thing was her fault. If she had not left, Nate would not have gone off the deep end and they would not have gotten in as deep as they did. Sophie stood up. The team had a new job to be done.

_**So there is the first chapter and I hope it isn't too bad. I will update ASAP but life is crazy right now. Please Review. Thanks!**_


	2. A Plan

**_Chapter 2. First of all, thank you for all that reviews. Second of all, I am still trying to work out how to write all the characters so it might be a little OOC but I did my best for it not to be. I hope you enjoy it._**

_**Disclaimer: Yea…No…Sadly I do not own the Leverage cast…I just barrow them…**_

_**Spoilers: Maltese Falcon Job, Three Day Hunter Job, Two Live Team Job,**_

"Meeting in the living room," Sophie called to Hardison, who was working with her computer in the office down the hall. She walked into the living room waited for the other three to join her.

Parker and Eliot came in from the kitchen and flopped down on the couch. Hardison came in moments later and walked over to a chair opposite from where Sophie was standing.

"Okay," Sophie started moving around that chair she was standing behind so that she was standing in the front of the sitting area, very close to where Nate would have stood if he were here and running the con. Then again if he were here there would not be a con.

"What's up?" Eliot asked cautiously.

"Two things," Sophie told the team. "First of all I own you an apology for doing what it did. I should not have left."

"You don't have to apologize Sophie," Eliot told her, "We all are allowed to come and go of our own free will."

"I know I just feel like I let you down," Sophie replied.

There was a pause. "What is the other thing?" Parker asked.

"I have a new job for us," Sophie told the team, "but it is on a completely voluntary basis, because this one is going to be risky."

"All of our jobs are risky," Parker pointed out.

"What is the job?" Eliot asked her.

"Getting Nate back," Sophie said simply.

"Sophie," Eliot reminded her, "Nate wanted us to be safe."

"He has known me for ten years," Sophie told Eliot, "He knows me well enough to know that I do not listen to him when he is trying to be all heroic."

"Alright," Eliot said. Sophie was defiantly going and he was moderately sure the plan was a good idea, and there was absolutely no way he would let Sophie (or anyone else on the team) run a con against Sterling by herself. "I'm in. Parker, Hardison, you want to help?"

"Sure," Hardison replied as Parker nodded vigorously.

"Alright," Sophie said, "Does anyone have a problem with me taking the lead on this?"

The other three looked around at each other. On the one hand Sophie was a grifter and the last time she had led it had been with Nate's help and it had worked all right. On the other hand they all knew that Sophie was never going to let any thing happen to Nate (or any of them but especially Nate) so she was not going to screw up.

"Go ahead," Eliot told her and the other two nodded their agreement.

"Right," Sophie started, "Hardison we need any information you can get on Nate."

"I was trying before but that computer in there. It's ancient," Hardison told her, "I mean I could try again but there isn't much on it."

"Hardison," Sophie stopped his rambling. She reached under the coffee table and slid out a secret compartment on the bottom. "Will this work?" Sophie asked handing him a laptop.

"This is beauty," Hardison said stroking the computer gently as he opened it.

"Hardison, stop petting the computer," Eliot told him.

Hardison stopped stroking the computer but only because he need both hands to type. "Alright I think I have something here," Hardison said slowly, "A Nathan Ford was admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital about three hours ago."

"Good," Sophie said, "At least they brought him to the hospital. What can you get on his records?"

"He is currently in surgery," Hardison replied, "Not much else is there. He was rushed into the ER…he is in custody…and oh..."

"What?" Sophie asked, "That did not sound good."

"It isn't," Hardison said slowly.

"What is it?" Eliot asked.

"Several dangerous suspects my try and make contact with the patient," Hardison read off the computer.

"Several dangerous suspects?" Sophie asked knowing pretty much where this was going but needing conformation.

"Sophie Devereaux, con artist; Parker, thief and escape artist; Eliot Spencer, hit man; Alec Hardison, hacker, may attempt to make contact with patient. They are to be capture preferably alive," Hardison finished, "Prefer…Preferably Alive? Like it's okay if they kill us?"

"Yep," Parker replied cheerfully.

"I am young. I am not ready to die," Hardison stammered.

"Chill Hardison," Eliot told him, "First of all we work a lot of cases where we are wanted preferably dead. Second of all, can't you delete that from the file?"

"Or put Sterling's picture in for Eliot and let them shoot him," Parker suggested smiling deviously.

"That is not a bad idea," Sophie agreed, "Can't you do it?"

"Can I do it?" Hardison asked annoyed, "Of course I can do it."

"What now Sophie?" Eliot asked.

"Um we need to get a read on what the hospital's security is like around Nate's room," Sophie decided, "Parker, how big are the air vents and Mass. General?"

"Pretty big," Parker replied smiling at a memory, "Really easy to crawl through and exits in every room." Hardison's jaw dropped, Eliot smiled and shook his head, and Sophie started to pace.

"Well we are going to have to wait until he is out of surgery and we know his condition," Sophie commented more to herself than to the team. Then turning back to the team she said, "We are going to have to move him before he is completely ready for discharge."

"Why?" Hardison asked.

"Because Sterling will move him to a safe house as soon as he is discharged and we will never see him again," Sophie answered.

"Alright so what is the plan?" Eliot asked.

"We go down to Boston and Parker does a recon of the security as soon as we know Nate is out of surgery and in his room. Hardison, you keep on that computer and tell me the minute Nate's condition changes. Eliot and I are really on stand-by until Parker gets back," Sophie explained. "What do you think?"

"I think this might just work," Eliot told the grifter.

"Let's hope it does," Sophie replied.

_**So there was chapter 2. Chapter 3 with be up ASAP…and I don't have a clue when that will be. Next week probably. This weekend if you get really lucky and review a ton. :-) Please Review. **_


	3. A Friend

_**Chapter 3. Sorry for the long gap between updates. I am going to try and update more often, but life has been crazy…Ah well…I hope you like this chapter.**_

_**Disclaimer: It hasn't been that long since I updated.**_

_**Spoilers: The Bottle Job, The Maltese Falcon Job, **_

The team was sitting in a hotel room watching Hardison stare at his computer. "Will you stop doing that?" he asked after a quarter of an hour.

"Stop doing what?" Eliot asked.

"Staring at me," Hardison said, "you're all staring at me."

"Sophie isn't staring at you," Parker pointed out. All three of them turned to look at the grifter who was standing in front of the window staring out over the city below her. She could see a lot of the city from there. She could see Massachusetts General Hospital…the theater where the team had been reunited…and their head quarters…

Sophie froze, then turned to the others. Tara had told her that Nate had gone back to the headquarters when it became clear that they would have to flee the city. It clicked then that Nate had gone back for something important to him and she had a pretty good idea what the thing had been.

"Parker can you come with me for a while?" Sophie asked her.

"Yea," Parker said jumping up from the bed happy to have something to do.

"We will be back in an hour or so," Sophie told the two guys, "If anything changes…call me, but don't be surprised if my phone is on silent."

"Alright," Eliot replied, "be careful."

"We will," Sophie told him appreciating his concern. Parker nodded enthusiastically. Together the two women walked over to the door and left the room.

As they walked out of the building and towards the car Sophie noticed that Parker was throwing glances at her. Finally when they got into the car, which was out of earshot of anyone else, Sophie turned to the thief. "What is up Parker?" Sophie asked her.

"I just wanted to make sure that you…" Parker's voice drifted off and she turned away from Sophie. She had never been good at sharing her feelings because she had learned at an early age that people who know what you are feeling could use that against you.

"That I what Parker?" Sophie asked her.

"So what are we going to do?" Parker asked.

Sophie sighed but let the subject drop from conversation. "We are going back to headquarters."

"Why?" Parker asked, "there is nothing there we need."

"I know but I think there is something that Nate went back to get and I want to make sure he got it," Sophie replied.

Parker returned to being silent as Sophie maneuvered the car into traffic. Sophie was still trying to figure out why Parker had been throwing glances at her. Before she could figure it out they had reached their destination.

Climbing slowly out of the car Sophie lifted up her sunglass so she could see what was going on. There did not seem to be any obvious security around the building. "You ready?" she asked the thief.

"Sure," Parker said getting out of the car.

"Okay we are going to go in and hopefully there won't be any guards but if there are we will need you expertise," Sophie explained.

"Alright," Parker said. Together the two of them walked into the bar. As they passed the counter Sophie heard her name called out and turned to look.

"Sophie," the young redhead greeted her, "and Parker."

"Cora," Sophie greeted the other woman.

"I haven't seen you for a while," Cora asked, "how have you been?"

"I've been pretty well," Sophie replied courteously, "and you?"

"I've been getting on alright but it is difficult after my father's death," Cora replied, "is there anything I can get for you?"

Sophie paused. "I need a little help," she told Cora quietly.

"Okay what," Cora replied.

"Are there security guard upstairs around Nate's apartment?" Sophie asked.

"No," Cora replied, "No one's been up there in days."

"Thank you and Cora," Sophie added, "If anyone asks, you never saw either of us."

"Alright," the bartender replied.

"Thank you," Sophie said before she and Parker disappeared up the stairs that led to the upper floors of the building. They reached the door to Nate's apartment, which was a Cora had told them, unguarded. Parker bent down and with in seconds she had the door unlocked and open.

Carefully the thief and the grifter stepped into the familiar room. Sophie felt her throat constrict slightly. So many moments had been spent in that room with them all together, before she had left… Sophie sighed and shook her head. She moved towards the desk that was in the back of the room. It did not take her long to find what she was looking for. It was the picture that Sam had drawn before his death, and it was one of the few physical things that Nate was emotionally attached to.

She removed the picture from its frame and folded it as carefully as she could. They she tucked it safely into the chest pocket of her jacket. Turning around Sophie was alarmed to find Parker standing right behind her. "Don't do that," the grifter told the thief, catching her breathe.

"Sorry," Parker said, "I think there is someone up stairs."

"Then we need to get out of here," Sophie told her.

"Don't go yet," a voice from above then said, "I've been waiting for twenty-four hours for you to show up."

Both Sophie and Parker looked up the spiral staircase to see who had spoken. They heard the footsteps descend the stairs as the watched as a person came into view. It was just about the last person they would have expected to see.

"Tara," Sophie asked incredulously.

"It's me," Tara confirmed as she walked down the rest of the stairs to stand in front of Sophie.

"Why are you here?" Sophie asked.

"Because I saw what happened to Nate and I want to help," Tara explained.

"Tara, we are even," Sophie reminded her, "you don't have to help anymore."

"I know," Tara said, "but I want to help."

Sophie and Parker looked at each other and then back at Tara. "You despise Nate," Sophie pointed out.

"I did," Tara said, "but things have changed."

"Explain," Sophie asked.

_**So there was chapter three. I hope you liked it. Please review. Reviews make me happy. And by the way…I promised some of you some more character interaction. I will get there. I intended to put it in this chapter but the chapter had other ideas. It decided it liked Tara… Anyway please review.**_


	4. A Decision

_**Chapter 4. I feel like I am taking forever between update's but it has only been a week which is pretty good for me this time of year. I guess the week just felt long… I will do my best to keep posting every weekend…no promises though. Anyway two things:**_

_**1. At least one person was not thrilled that Tara was back. Well…I am not completely sure I am, but I need her to make the plot work. So just cope with her for a few chapters and then she will be gone again.**_

_**2. Someone commented that they didn't know Tara despised Nate. I wrote that chapter after watching Tara vent to Sophie about Nate in the Runway Job. So that is where that came from…**_

_**Right…Thanks…Enjoy…**_

_**Disclaimer: No…still not mine…**_

_**Spoilers: The Maltese Falcon Job, Two Live Team Job**_

"Okay," Tara replied, "I know I wasn't complementary of Nate when I was first working with him, but you can't tell me that he didn't annoy you at least a little."

"She got mad at him for drinking," Parker told Tara.

"So is that why everyone freaked out when Nate started drinking again?" Tara asked.

"Probably," Sophie replied, "but that is not the point."

"I know," Tara said, "look I didn't leave immediately when we separated. I watched everything that happened and saw them take Nate away. He was shot."

"We know that," Sophie said.

"Look Sophie when you left you asked me to keep an eye on them. Before that I have never known you to look back at a job. They changed you Sophie," Tara explained, "I did not understand what you saw in Nate or why you cared about him until he gave himself up for you guys."

"That's the Nate we all came back for," Parker commented referencing her earlier conversation with Eliot and Nate.

"Tara I hear what you are saying but you are not one to do something out of loyalty or generosity," Sophie told the other woman.

"True, but I decided that just this once I make an exception," Tara said adding under her breath, "It might be a time to try it again."

Sophie considered her options. She could trust that Tara was really doing this out of the goodness of her heart and run the risk that Tara had ulterior motives or was working for Sterling or she could say no and give up the offer of extra help that they could quite possibly use. In the end it really came down to how much she trusted Tara.

Sophie looked at the blonde grifter. She had not missed Tara's last, quieter, comment. She knew Tara had a dark past that she did not like to talk about and she hid from almost everyone. Sophie only knew about it because of the time in Kiev when she and Tara had both been trapped and thought they were going to die. People have a way of telling other people things they wouldn't normally if the probability of death appears to be in the extremely likely to certain range.

"Are you working for Sterling?" Sophie asked Tara paying careful attention of the other woman's face.

"No," Tara replied earnestly.

Sophie closed her eyes for a moment. Tara didn't seem to be lying but trying to tell if a grifter was lying was little more than a fool's errand.

"Alright," Sophie agreed, "you're in."

"Great," Tara said, "Now we should probably get out of here."

"Agreed," Sophie said, "Parker do you want to lead the way to the back stairs?"

"Sure," Parker agreed, leading the two grifters out into the hall and closing the door behind them. As they walked down the stairs towards the parking lot, Sophie turned to Tara.

"Do you have your own car?" she asked.

"Yes," Tara replied.

"Alright then just follow me," Sophie told her and Tara nodded.

"I assume Parker is going with you because she doesn't seem to want to let you out her sight," Tara said smiling. Sophie laughed as the three of them got into the two respective cars.

Sophie considered Tara's words as she put the key into ignition. Parker didn't want to let Sophie out of her sight. It was almost like she was worried that Sophie was going to go somewhere. Then it clicked. Sophie looked over at Parker who was looking out the window.

"Parker," Sophie asked, "Is the reason you keep looking at me because you are worried that I am going to leave again?"

Parker didn't answer it Sophie she just continued to stare out the window. "Parker, talk to me," Sophie begged the thief as they pulled into the hotel parking lot. She parked the car and turned back to talk to Parker but Parker was already halfway to the building.

Sophie sighed and let her forehead fall forward onto the steering wheel, which she was still holding. She should have know better than to think that she could just walk back into the team without the being some repercussions for her leaving. Eliot and Hardison might not have a grudge against her…or maybe they did they were just not showing it and it would become apparent at a later date. Actually she was pretty sure that they didn't hold a grudge. If anything it was a case breaking their trust. She was pretty sure that that was the case with Parker as well. Nate on the other hand would be a different story.

Her relationship with Nate was different from her relationship with anyone else on the team. She treasured her relationship with everyone on the team but especially her relationship with Nate. He had the ability to understand her in a way that no one else could but sometimes he couldn't see things that she made pretty obvious. She also knew that he could hold grudge. She only hoped that he would not hold a grudge against her. She loved him and she needed him.

There was only one other person that she needed the forgiveness of and that was herself. That was the one that would take the longest because she could not rid herself of the thought that none of this mess would have happened if she had been there.

Suddenly there was a knock on the window. "You coming or not?" Tara asked.

"What?" Sophie said confused, "oh right, coming."

_**So do you like it? The next chapter is going to be character action and then in a chapter or two they will go in for the main part of the job. Please keep the reviews coming…They make me smile…**_


	5. A Talk

_**Chapter 5. Yes I know that I said I would update every weekend but I was on vacation this last week and didn't have wireless Internet. So you get one today. I will try to give you another one next weekend but we will see…**_

_**Disclaimer: No they do not belong to me I merely barrow them for my entertainment and hopefully yours as well. :-)**_

_**Spoilers: The Maltese Falcon Job, The Future Job, The Lost Heir Job**_

Sophie opened the door to Eliot and Hardison's hotel room and walked in with Tara following behind her. Hardison was still watching his computer while Eliot and Parker stood watching him. They all looked up at the sound of the door opening. Hardison's jaw dropped and Eliot looked surprised at Tara's reappearance.

Eliot shrugged and walked over. "Welcome back," he told the blonde grifter holding out his hand and shaking hers.

Hardison nodded to her, "good to see you again." Then more hurriedly he added, "Sophie, Nate is out of surgery."

"How is he? Where is he?" Sophie asked, the first question for herself, the second question for the con.

"He is in critical condition and has been moved to ICU," Hardison told her.

"Alright," Sophie said to herself trying to pace up and down. "We can't move him until he is out of ICU at the very least so there is no point in scouting ICU because he will be moved before we can do anything."

"Sophie, we could go to keep an eye on him," Eliot suggested.

"We don't want to go in anymore than we have to because if one of us gets seen it is game over for all of us and Nate," Sophie pointed out.

"So when are we going to move in?" Tara asked.

"Once he is moved to recovery Parker goes in to figure out what are options are for getting out," Sophie said slowly. "Hardison I need you to figure out where Maggie is and what she is doing and if there is any chance she has heard about Nate."

"Alright," Hardison replied turning back to his computer and typing.

"Is Maggie coming?" Parker asked looking at the wall over Sophie's right shoulder.

"Not exactly," Sophie responded, "no."

"Maggie is currently in Moscow looks like she is at a several week art exhibit," Hardison told them.

"Why would Maggie be at an art exhibit?" Parker asked confused.

"She is looking at the art," Eliot told Parker, "not steeling it."

"People do that?" Parker asked cocking her head to the side. Eliot just shook his head.

"How long will she be out of the country?" Sophie asked.

"I don't know," Hardison replied annoyed, "best guess a couple of weeks minimum."

"Excellent," Sophie said looking at Tara, "You get to be Maggie at some point in the future."

"Cool," Tara replied, "that should be interesting."

"Alright Hardison keep doing what you are doing," Sophie told him, "If anything changes…"

"I will tell you," Hardison assured her.

"Thank you," Sophie told him, "Parker can I have a word in the other room please?"

Parker nodded and followed Sophie into the other room. Sophie closed the door behind them and sat down opposite where Parker was sitting. "Parker I think we need to talk," Sophie started a little awkwardly. She knew they both needed to have this conversation but it was always a little difficult to know where to begin with Parker.

Parker shifted a little forward on the bed. "I don't," she replied.

"Parker please," Sophie started.

"There's nothing to talk about," Parker said hurriedly not looking at Sophie, "You left and we were still here. Sort of. We all needed you. You were the one who made things better."

'Okay,' Sophie thought, 'that's a good start.' "Parker, what kind of things needed to be made better?"

"Well nothing was broken but it was like a really small jigsaw puzzle with a piece missing. You know you can sort of fit another piece in there but it doesn't fit exactly," Parker explained still not looking at Sophie. "Nate always left a glass of whatever you usually drank at client meetings on the table. The psychic wouldn't have happened if you had gone with Nate instead of me."

"What happened with the psychic?" Sophie asked despite the fact that Eliot had answered that question already. She needed to hear it from Parker.

"Nate and I were checking out a phony psychic for a con against him and so he comes up to me in the audience and he…he…he figured out about my brother," Parker said slowly.

"What did he figure out about you brother?" Sophie asked gently.

"He figured out how he died and that it was all my fault," Parker said her eyes starting to sparkle with tears.

"It was not your fault," Sophie told the thief.

"Yes it was," Parker said struggling not to cry. "He was my little brother. I suggested we ride bikes. I didn't see the car coming and it hit him." Parker cursed quietly as she realized that she was crying for the second time in the passed couple of weeks over something that had happened years ago.

Sophie shifted so that she was sitting on the bed next to Parker. Tentatively she started rubbing the younger woman's back and when Parker didn't shrug away she took it as a good sign. "Parker it was not your fault," Sophie told her firmly, "How old were you?"

"Seven," Parker replied, "he was six."

"You weren't old enough to be responsible for someone else's life," Sophie said, "Where were your parents?"

"Inside and when they found out they got really mad and told me it was all my fault," Parker explained, "I was in the foster system within weeks."

"Oh Parker," Sophie said quietly, "I'm sorry." Sophie wasn't sure if she was sorry that Parker had to go through all of that or sorry that she hadn't been they when the psychic brought it all back up or sorry that she had brought it all back up again or sorry that she had left the team. She wasn't sure if just on of those things or weather it was all of them that she was apologizing for but Parker seemed to have decided that it didn't matter which one it was. Only one thing mattered.

"It's okay," Parker replied, "you came back." That was what mattered.

_**Several of you had been asking for a scene where Sophie talked to Parker and so that was my stab at it. I like it all right. I think it might have gone a little OOC but I tried really hard not to. Hope you liked it. Please review. **_


	6. A Development

**_Chapter 6. I know I said every weekend but that is proving an impossible goal so I am leaning towards every other weekend. Sorry about that. Anyway, this chapter is not my favorite chapter. The beginning was really fun to write though. So I guess I will wait and see what you think after it. Enjoy._**

_**Disclaimer: They are doing it perfectly…I don't want it…I would mess it up :-)**_

_**Spoilers: Sort of kind of the Nigerian Job, The Two Live Team Job, The Maltese Falcon Job, The Three Strikes Job**_

"Sophie," Hardison called from the other room.

"Coming," she called back. She patted Parker on the back as she stood up and the thief stood up too. Together they walked back into the other room.

"Nate has been moved out of ICU," Hardison told her.

"Already?" Sophie asked surprised.

"Already!? It's been like two days since he got out of surgery," Hardison said incredulously. The other four all exchanged glances and small smirks.

"Spoken like somebody who's never been shot," Eliot commented.

"Have you all been shot?" Hardison asked.

"Berlin 2003," Parker said smiling a little. Eliot smirked at the concept of someone smiling at the memory of being shot.

"Kiev 2000," Tara told them.

"Paris 1999 and Cairo 2006," Sophie chimed in.

"Atlanta 1996, Rome and New York 1997, Oslo 1998, Moscow and Vegas 1999, Madrid and Cape Town and Beijing 2000…" Eliot paused to look at Hardison whose jaw had dropped.

"How come you have been shot before?" he stammered.

"We are thieves, Hardison," Tara reminded him, "What we do is illegal and people with guns try to kill us."

There were a few seconds of silence before Sophie spoke again. "What do we have on his condition?" she asked him bringing the conversation back to the con.

"It says that he is stable and should be ready for release in two weeks or so," Hardison read off the screen.

"That gives us very little time to make this work," Sophie commented.

"Parker, you wait for it to get a little darker and then you take Eliot and go to the hospital find a way into the air vent from the outside and find Nate's room," Sophie instructed the thief.

"I can go by myself," Parker pouted with her arms crossed.

"I know you can Parker," Sophie replied, "but I want Eliot to go with you just to make sure nothing happens."

"Alright," Parker said shrugging, "Do you have any floor plans for the hospital?"

"I think I might be able to get something," Hardison said, "But I need to go into a room with a printer."

"I have a printer in the other room," Parker said walking out of the room.

"How?" Hardison started then decided that he did not want to know and just got up and followed Parker.

"How is he getting through this so fast," Sophie wondered aloud.

"Because the things that drive him are knowing who he is and knowing what he was supposed to do with his life," Eliot told her, "over the past few weeks he hasn't known either one."

Sophie thought about the phone conversation she had had with Nate while she was on the helicopter. She remembered what Nate had told her. He had said that he needed her because he didn't know who he was or what he was supposed to be doing. He had said that he needed her. She also remember Parker referencing a conversation she and Eliot had had with Nate about him needing to be the man they all came back for.

"Now he knows both," Tara finished.

"How can you know that?" Sophie asked.

"After you all left in the helicopter on of the agents asked who he was," Tara explained, "and he said that his name was Nathan Ford and he was a thief."

Sophie smiled that sound like something the Nate Ford of a decade ago would have said. Except a decade ago he would have said that he was a good guy. Now after years of trying to put thieves in jail he was one, and all five of them were better people for working together. Now he knew there was more than one kind of good guy.

"That sounds like Nate," Sophie said with a soft smile.

Eliot nodded in agreement. "Well," Tara said, "I am going to go see if Hardison and Parker have made any headway with the maps." She got up and walked into the other room.

"Good idea," Sophie said standing up to follow Tara, but Eliot caught her by the wrist.

"Sophie," Eliot started, "Nate knows who he is because you came back to save him. You would have come back for any of us but he was the one who needed you most. He did what he did because he knew that it was his duty to protect his family."

"Thank you," Sophie told him smiling. Once again she was not exactly sure what she meant with her simple statement but it didn't seem to matter to Eliot. He had told her what she needed to hear and she was grateful for it. He had reminded her how much she had lost when she walked away and had reminded her why she had come back.

Together the two walked into the other room where Tara was looking over Parker's shoulder at a blue print of the hospital. Hardison was still on his computer looking for one more map. Parker looked very happy to be back in her natural habitat, which was planning her part of the cons.

"Sophie," Parker asked, "When can I go?"

"That easy?" Sophie asked with a smile.

"I could do this in my sleep," Parker said with her grin that usually meant she was up to something.

"You just need to wait until it gets dark," Sophie reminded Parker.

"But," Parker started sounding like a child begging their mother to let them do something

"Parker," Eliot said pointing to the window, "It is already dark."

"Cool," Parker said happily, "let's go." She grabbed Eliot's hand and tried to pull him out of the room.

"Have you both got your earpieces?" Sophie asked. They both nodded. "Alright then go ahead but don't make contact with Nate until you have to. Okay?" They both nodded again, and Sophie laughed as Eliot let Parker pull him out of the room.

She had missed these guys. They were the first people since before her parents' divorce when she was fourteen that her really felt like family. In a way her parents' relationship had taught her how to be a grifter and her place on the team had taught her how to love again.

_**So what did you think? Love it? Hate it? Tell me!!! Please review. Reviews make me smile. I will update ASAP. **_


	7. An Infiltration

_**Chapter 7. This chapter is a lot of Dialogue and I am sorry about that but I needed the plot development. So yea…please read, review and enjoy. Disclaimer: Haha ha…no**_

_**Spoilers: Maltese Falcon Job, Two Live Team Job, Future Job**_

"Come on," Parker whined at Eliot, "I want to go now."

"Not yet," Eliot replied in a low growl.

"Eliot I've done this a hundred times," Parker reminded him.

Eliot shook his knowing that 'a hundred times' was likely not an exaggeration but an actual. "I know you can do your job but Sophie wanted me to do mine so just hang on," Eliot replied.

Parker was about to argue back when Sophie's voice came over the headset. "Parker, listen to Eliot and wait for him to say so before you go." Parker nodded and waited for Eliot to speak.

"Alright the coast is all clear," Eliot said turning to her, "are you ready?"

Parker nodded enthusiastically and followed Eliot as he opened the car door. They walked over to the air vent they had chosen as the best point of entry. Parker looked at Eliot.

"Remember," he reminded her, "this is just a reconnaissance mission. You get in, look at the security, and get out. Do not make contact with Nate."

"I know," Parker replied, "Can I go now?"

"Whenever you are ready," Eliot told her. Parker smiled and climbed up into the air vent. "Good luck," he told her as she disappeared into to the air vent. Eliot could not see it but he could tell that Parker had smiled in response.

Eliot started to pace. He would wait here until she got back out and they could safely get out. This was her part of the show now.

Parker wriggled through the air vent as quietly as she could, which was pretty quietly. She reached the first fork in the air vents and paused. "Tara," she hissed, "I'm at the first turn, which way should I go?"

"Um…" Tara said looking down at the map, "Right."

"How far this way do I go?" Parker asked in a whisper.

"Five little junction things," Tara replied looking down at the map, "I think."

Parker rolled her eyes, as did Eliot who was listening to the conversation via the earpieces.

"It is five," Sophie told Parker, "Then you turn at the sixth one."

"Thank you," Parker told Sophie. Then she started to crawl down the new direction of air vents. She past five and reached the sixth quickly. "What now?"

"Turn left then immediately right and you should see a grate into one of the rooms," Sophie instructed.

"I see it," Parker whispered, "Can I go in?"

"Can you get a read on the guards any other way?" Sophie asked.

"No I left my night vision goggles back at the old Headquarters," Parker replied completely seriously.

"Then go ahead," Sophie allowed. She did not need to remind Parker anymore that she could not make contact with Nate. By this point Parker either got it or she did not and if she did not there was nothing anyone could do about it. However Parker was concentrated on making the con work so Sophie was not too worried.

Parker quietly pulled the grate out of the air vent and set if beside her. Then she carefully peeped down into the room. There were no guards in the room as far as Parker could tell so she gently and silently she slipped out of the air vent and into the room. She had been right. There were no guards. She checked outside the room and again saw nothing.

"There aren't any guards here," Parker conveyed quietly to the rest of the team, "I'm going to stick around a little and see if they show up."

Eliot snorted. Only Parker would sit down and wait for guards to show up when there was a good chance they would kill her if the caught her.

Sophie gave that plan the go ahead and Parker smiled. She crept across the room and leaned over Nate's bed. She was not going to make contact. She just wanted to see him.

Parker felt a tear in her eye then shook her head. She did not cry. Crying was a sign of weakness and she had not done it in years…except for the thing with the psychic. She had cried when she lost a family member, a real family member not a foster family. This was just more evidence that the team was the only real family she had known since she was six years old.

They all needed Nate to come back to them, just like they had need Sophie to come back to them. Suddenly footsteps cut through Parker's thoughts. She looked up and saw two guards in the hallway. One was reaching towards the door to open it. Quickly and quietly Parker vacated her chair and climbed up into the air vent where she watched from there.

The two guards walked in. They looked at the bed and noted that Nate was still there. One of them signed off of a sheet by the door and then they left.

Parker snickered as she climbed back down and went to check the sheet. There were time slots for every hour that had to be signed off. Parker started to laugh.

"Parker what on earth is so funny?" Sophie demanded of the thief.

"They have to check him every hour and then they just leave again," Parker said as she climbed back into the vent.

Quickly she crawled through the vent and found the place where she needed to exit. She stood on a ledge a little below the exit and put the grate back in. Then she jumped. Eliot grunted as he caught the thief.

"Give a guy some warning," Eliot asked setting her down.

"Sorry didn't know you were there," Parker said shrugging, "Let's go."

Eliot looked at her, shook his head, and followed. That girl was completely insane.

_**I hoped you liked it at least a little. I liked the end part. I kinda based it off the first season scene. Anyway…Please Review. I will update ASAP.**_


	8. A Second Plan

_**Chapter 8. Sorry for the wait people. I have no internet connection at my house so I couldn't post it until today. (I still don't have internet but I am using someone else's.) I really like the beginning of this chapter and that is all I am going to say.**_

_**Disclaimer: Not mine…**_

_**Spoilers: The Bank Shot Job, The Maltese Falcon Job, The Two Lives Teams Job…**_

Parker and Eliot returned to the hotel room minutes later. They all gathered around the desk in the corner of the room. Hardison had his feet propped up on the desk and was balancing his computer on his lap. Sophie was sitting in a chair next to him and playing absentmindedly with a strand of hair that had escaped today's ponytail. She was also reading the screen over his shoulder rather regularly while pretending that she was not doing it. Tara had started to drum out different rhythms on the desk using her fingers. Eliot pulled up a chair and sat down between Hardison and Tara. Parker looked around for a chair, but could not find one.

Parker shrugged and sat down on Eliot's lap. "Whoa," he said automatically looking at the blonde thief on his lap.

"No more chairs," Parker said as if it was the most normal thing in the world to sit on her coworkers.

Eliot shrugged and accepted Parker's reasoning. In truth, there were far worse things than having an adorable blonde thief sitting on your lap. Eliot settled back just slightly allowing Parker to lean back far enough to see Hardison's screen too.

"No guys this is not cool," Hardison told them, "you tell me to do a job I do it. I don't need everyone monitoring me. Don't y'all have something else you could be doing?"

"Like what?" Tara asked, "Playing Go Fish?"

"I love go fish," Parker said her eyes lighting up like a Christmas tree. "You first or me first?"

Tara just looked at Parker who had produce a pack of cards out of nowhere and was proceeding to shuffle them. " No offense Parker, but I don't think playing Go Fish with a known thief is a good idea," Tara said slowly. Parker looked confused.

"Honey," Eliot told her gently, "the point of Go Fish is to leave the cards you get to chance not steel them."

Parker wrinkled her nose at Eliot. "That's stupid," she said putting the cards back away.

"We need a plan," Sophie commented more to herself than to the group.

"I thought we had one already," Hardison said cautiously.

"No we knew how to get in to get a look at the guards," Eliot answered for Sophie, "We really don't have anything past that."

"Are you tellin' me that we are doing this blind?" Hardison asked, "I mean cause that really doesn't sound like a good idea."

"We are not going in with out a plan Hardison," Sophie assured him a little curtly. They needed a plan and she knew that. She was the one who had gotten them into this mess by leaving and she was going to get them all out in one piece. She also needed to compartmentalize things enough to sort out what was important. There was only one thing she was absolutely sure of past that. She could not see Nate.

She wanted to see him with her whole heart but her head knew that it would be a bad idea. The minute she saw him she would lose the ability to focus on the con and that could possibly cost lives. She loved Nate and had for years and her greatest fear is that she would somehow compromise their safety because of that like she had when she and Nate were hostages in the back robbery.

Sophie shook her head. They still needed a plan. She had never been a mastermind. When she worked solo, she had decided on her objective she would go and play the situation however the cards fell. Once she joined the team Nate took charge of the planning of cons. She had never really learned how to plan everyone's moves. She was a grifter by nature and could charm someone into cooperating in her sleep, but planning how to charm someone was a whole other…

Sophie froze. That was their way in. They could take full advantage of the fact that they had two grifters. Sophie rubbed her hands together and tucked the rebellious piece of hair back behind her ear yet again.

"Alright," she said slowly, "I think I may have a plan."

"Let's hear it," Eliot encouraged her. Sophie almost smiled at that. She had not missed the fact that Eliot was backing her up and supporting her every step of the way. That was one of Eliot's self-appointed roles. He had decided years ago that as the hitter it was his job to protect the team from anything that might hurt them physically and try and help them emotionally.

"We take advantage of the fact that we have two female grifters," Sophie started. "Tara you get to pretend to be Maggie. You need to convince the guards that you are his wife and you have been out of the country. Tell them whatever sob story you need to so they will let you in. Hardison get her whatever papers she needs."

"Right so you are going to need a passport," Hardison started.

"In a minute," Sophie said her voice a little sharp due to her newfound confidence. "Tara once you get in just wait until I can get rid of guards. Then you and Parker, who will be waiting in the air vent, can sneak Nate out. Eliot you make sure Parker gets into the air vent safely and then you make whatever distractions are needed to get Nate of the hospital."

"What do you want me to do?" Eliot asked.

"I don't know," Sophie responded, "whatever seems to fit the situation best. Hardison I need you to run tech support and have the getaway car ready if at all possible."

Hardison bit back a sarcastic comment. "Does everyone still have their ear buds?" Hardison asked them.

Eliot and Parker both nodded while Sophie and Tara shook their head. "Right," he said pulling out a case. "Tara and Sophie." He handed and earpiece to each woman as he said their name.

"We ready to do this?" Sophie asked.

"Definitely," Eliot said as the other three nodded in agreement, "When ever you say go, we're gone," he paused, "Boss."

_**So did you like it? Please Review. The next chapter will be up this weekend internet service permitting. **_


	9. A Start

_**Chapter 9. This chapter was interesting and very fun to write. I hope it will be as fun for you to read. Read, Review, Enjoy.**_

_**Disclaimer: Funny but no.**_

_**Spoilers: The Maltese Falcon Job**_

Sophie checked them out of the hotel, while the other three loaded their few belongings as well their technical equipment into their new truck. Once they were all in the parking lot they split up into four separate groups. It have been decided that it was best if they arrived in waves instead of all together. Hardison left first in the truck so that he could set up. Tara followed not far behind him in a car that she had illegally barrowed. Parker and Eliot were to leave next and Parker was already in the car. Eliot pulled Sophie aside.

"Sophie," Eliot told her, "Please be careful."

"I will be," she responded, "I've done this before."

"You've done cons before. This is to save the man," Eliot paused, "just be careful.

"Okay," Sophie replied, "you and Parker need to head out."

Eliot nodded and climbed into the car with Parker. The thief looked at him. "She is going to put herself at risk." Parker said sort of as a question but mostly as a statement.

"Yea," Eliot replied, "It really comes down to how bad the guards are."

"They are dopes," Parker replied.

"Here's hoping," Eliot said as he pulled the car into traffic.

Sophie watched the pair pull onto the street and disappear from view. What Eliot had almost said interested her. Was it really that obvious that she loved Nate? Probably. These people were thieves. They could pick up subtle clues better than almost anyone in the world and sometime she hadn't really been subtle about it.

Her mind shifted to the other part of the conversation as she too left the parking lot. Eliot was worried about her. Some part of her wondered if he wasn't right to worry that she would get in over her head on this one. She could not let that happen. She knew that. From this point on until the end her goal was to think about the con and only the con.

Hardison and Tara arrive at the hospital at almost the same time. While Hardison set up the truck, Tara donned her make-up and entered the building. It was not at all difficult to make it past the front desk and into the elevator. Even as a seasoned grifter Tara never ceased to be amazed by the distance that a sobbing spouse could get you. It was almost like an all access pass, almost. Some small part of Tara felt bad impersonating Maggie and almost mocking all grieving spouses, but the bigger part of her knew that she was not intentionally mocking anyone and that this was absolutely necessary for the plan to work. Wasn't a fake grieving wife better than a real grieving lover?

Parker and Eliot were the next to arrive. They did as they had a few days before. Eliot parked the car in the back of the hospital and they both got out. Parker grabbed his wrist almost excitedly and pulled him over the air vent cover. She looked at him expectantly waiting for him to give her the boost she needed to reach the cover.

He lifted her up allowing her to pull the cover out of it's hole. She handed the cover to Eliot and pulled herself into the hole. She stuck her hand out so that Eliot could hand her the cover to put back in. As he handed her the metal rectangle their eyes met and a message passed between them. Parker nodded in response and Eliot smiled. She slotted the cover back into place then turned and started crawling away down the vent, this time with a map to Nate's room.

Eliot waited until she was completely out of sight then he turned away making sure that any tracks they may have left were completely obliterated. He turned back to the car and climbed back inside. He moved the car, which had also been obtained illegally, around to the front of the hospital.

Climbing out he made his way into the lobby of the hospital to wait for further instructions.

Sophie reached the hospital last. As she climbed out of her car, again illegally obtained, she looked around. From her parking space she could see, the black van that Hardison was now working out of, the shiny silver Volvo that Tara had come in, and the pick-up truck Eliot and Parker had used.

She walked towards the hospital but pause just outside the doors. "Is everyone in position?" Sophie asked the team.

There was a chorus of yeses from Eliot, Hardison, and Parker. "Give me a couple of minutes," Tara asked. Sophie consented as the doors on the elevator Tara was in opened. Tara took one more deep breath before exiting onto the floor that Nate was on. It was completely deserted except for the guards that stood outside Nate's room.

Carefully she approached them as she conjured up fake tears and let them steam down her face. Those combined with the water she had used early to deliberately smear her make up, resulted in the look of someone who had been crying for hours. The guards both stood there like angry sentinels.

"You're not allowed to come this way," one of the guards growled at Tara.

"But that's my husband," Tara begged as more faked tears ran down her face.

"He had been her for a week why are you only here now?" the other guard demanded of her.

"I've been in Europe on business as soon as I heard," Tara said through her tears. This was going to be a little tougher than she thought. It would take something really good to get these two to let her in. Then an idea came to her. Suddenly one hand flew to her mouth as the other flew to her stomach. Turning around she darted into the woman's restroom, which was right behind her. She stayed in there for what she deemed to be a sufficient time before exiting and pretending to wipe her mouth as she did so.

"Are you sick, ma'am?" the second guard asked, "because we really can risk getting you husband infected."

"No I'm pregnant," Tara said noting the dead silence on the line as the team listened to her story, "vomiting is one of the symptoms, as is a smaller bladder and missed-"

The second guard cut her off before she could finish her sentence. He looked a little uncomfortable.

"You can have one hour," he told her opening the door. She walked in and took a seat beside Nate's bed.

As the door closed she whispered, "I'm in position." Then she smirked at the looks that she knew were on the team's faces. "What? You tell the mark what you have to go get were you need to go" she told them, "The more uncomfortable or sympathetic the lie makes the better."

"Nicely done." Sophie commended the other grifter, "Let's get this show on the road."

**_Right so did you enjoy it? The thing with Tara pretending to be pregnant really came out of nowhere but it worked really well so… Anyway. Please review._**

_**I only got one review for the last chapter and I know there are more than one of you reading this. On the other hand I know I am pretty busy right now so if you are to I am not going to hold that against you. And I really don't mean to sound whiney I just want to know what people think.**_


	10. A Game with Fire

**_Chapter 10. Wow. Ten chapters and I still don't know exactly what I'm doing. Ah well…it seems to be doing okay for itself. There is one swear word in this chapter at the very end and I know some might find it offensive but it was really the only way to create the scene I wanted there. Right so enjoy._**

_**Disclaimer: Smiles widely… no**_

_**Spoilers: The Maltese Falcon Job**_

Sophie walked across the lobby of the hospital and into the elevator. This was her part of the con. She needed to get the guards out of the way of the door and keep them distracted. She walked into the elevator door and waited for them to close. Then she pulled her blouse and skirt off. It revealed a very small very tight dress that did not leave a lot to the imagination. She pulled out her hair bands and exited at the appropriate floor. As she walked down the hall she considered her options. There were several different cons she could go for. The guards came into view before she had made a decision.

"What are you doing down here ma'am?" one of the guards asked. They looked her up and down and both had a look in their eye that meant they were intrigued. They wanted to know more. They also, Sophie knew with slight disgust, wanted to see more.

"I was waiting for my boyfriend," Sophie said using a flawless French accent, "we were going to have some fun. If you know what I mean." Sophie batter her eyelashes in a way that she liked to use on male marks because for some reason it held them captivated.

"I know what you mean," one of the guards said knowingly. The other guard raised his eyebrows and nodded. Sophie knew she had them hooked.

"Yes?" Sophie asked, "well then…"

Tara had been watching the conversation from inside the room and listening to it over the ear piece. As a grifter she thought it both good work and playing with fire. One wrong step with those two and Sophie would find herself a place she did not want to be. That was all the more reason to work quickly so they could all get out.

Tara tapped Nate on the shoulder to she if he was awake. He turned to look at her. Tara mouth for him to be quiet and carefully checked to make sure he wasn't still on any IV's. He wasn't. She looked up towards the air vent and signaled Parker that it was safe to come down.

The thief clambered down from her hiding spot and replaced the cover. She walked over to the bed and poked Nate's shoulder. He looked up at her. Parker didn't say anything she just smiled. Then she looked at Tara for instructions.

"Nate we are going to help you walked to the elevator," Tara explained quietly, "Parker you take one side and I'll take the other okay."

Parker nodded in agreement and came to stand next to Tara. Nate sat up and swung his feet over the side of the bed and reached out an arm to each of the blondes. He really wanted to see a certain brunette but that would have to wait until he was out.

As stood up he started to sway but did not fall because of the two women helping him. He resent needing help to be able to walk, but knew that he did even if he denied it. He also knew that denying it and trying to walk on his own would put all the others in danger because the longer they were in the longer they were at risk.

Slowly they walked to the door and then they paused. Tara poked her head around the doorframe and looked both ways. "Coast is clear," Tara whispered to the other two, "go as quickly and as quietly as possible."

Together they walked towards the elevator and were almost there when they heard a soft voice floating towards them. "No No," Sophie said in her French accent, "you do not want to go this way."

"Why not?" a gruff guard voice asked slightly out of breath.

"Because there is nothing down there either," Sophie explained, "we are completely alone."

"Except of the thief in there," the guard gestured to the room where Nate should be.

"We should check on the idiot," the other guard pointed out.

"Sterling said that he has friends who he went down protecting," the first guard said, "wonder where they are."

"They all split once he was caught," the second guard said, "they don't care what happens to him as long as they get off scot-free. Don't you think?" He looked at Sophie as he asked the question.

"I haven't met very many thieves," Sophie said slowly willing the other three into the elevator. She had to stall the guards.

"You only ever have to meet one to know they are all the same," the guard said, "They don't care if they take another human life. It is all just a game to them."

"Is it really?" Sophie asked feeling anger rise up in her chest. She could not blow their cover, but hearing this moron talk about a group of people he had never met was getting on the end of Sophie's very frayed nerves.

"There barely even human," the guard continued as if he had not heard Sophie's question. "Any half decent person would come to visit the person that gave his freedom to protect them, but these animals don't care."

Sophie said nothing but out of the corner of her eye she saw the elevator doors close. They were clear of this floor and she could bail now if she wanted to but if she bail now there was a chance the guards would catch up to them before they cleared the building. She considered Eliot's request to be careful. If she wanted to safe she would leave now, but if she wanted the others to be safe she would stay.

"He's gone," the first guard yelled.

"Who?" the second guarded asked looking around wildly.

"The prisoner," the first replied, "he must have gotten out while we were talking to her."

"He couldn't have gotten out on his own," the second guard continued, "she was distraction so he could get out."

"He could be long gone by now," the first guard said angrily, "that could cost us our jobs."

"You bitch," the second guard yelled tuning to Sophie with and uncontrollable rage roaring in his eyes. "You're going to pay for this."

_**Right so there it was. I thought it was a pretty good chapter with a little cliff hanger at the end. What do you think? Please tell me. Review. **_


	11. A Fight

**_Chapter 11. Well here is chapter 11. Many of you asked me not to kill Sophie…would I do that? Smile. Anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter._**

_**Disclaimer: not mine**_

_**Spoilers: the Maltese falcon job, **_

Sophie turned and tried to run, but the guard grabbed her wrist and twisted in behind her back. Sophie heard a sharp crack as pain shot through her wrist. The guard then used his leverage over her to push her face against the wall. "Where is he going?" he demanded.

"I don't know," Sophie lied knowing perfectly well that he was going to hit her again. She could still feel the pain shooting through her wrist and was concentrating so hard on not crying that she did not notice the voices on the earpiece.

"Tara," Eliot asked, "Are you guys in the clear? Are we ready to get out?"

"We're clear but I don't think Sophie is," Tara replied worriedly. "Eliot those guard will hurt her badly if they realized Nate is gone."

"I'm on it," Eliot replied taking off towards the elevator. "You guys get Nate clear and I get Sophie."

"Great," Tara replied.

Nate looked up at her from the stretcher. "Is Sophie going to be okay?" Nate asked.

"Sophie's going to be just fine," Tara replied knowing that statement fell somewhere between cautious optimism and a blatant lie. She did not really care at the moment. She needed Nate to stay relaxed until they were clear of the hospital, and telling Nate that Sophie was probably being attacked would not relax him.

-0-0-0-0-

Eliot paced back and forth in the elevator. "Come on move," Eliot told the elevator. After what seemed like forever it reach the right floor. Eliot went tearing down the hallway toward what sound like a fight. He was right. It was a fight.

The bigger of the two guards had Sophie pinned against the wall by the throat. Eliot could tell just at a glance that she had black eye and probably a broken wrist. That was enough right there to piss Eliot off. Nobody hurt his team and especially not either one of his girls.

"Let her go," Eliot told the guard.

"What," the guard sneered at Eliot, "Are you going to do something about it?"

Eliot didn't answer the question instead he knocked the slightly less bulky guard out with one punch. The bigger guard looked at Eliot and Eliot noticed that the guard had a choke hold on Sophie. Eliot lunged forward and punched the guy in the nose. A satisfying crack told Eliot he had broken the man's nose.

The man let go of Sophie and got his fists up in ready position. He tried for Eliot's nose but Eliot block him. However his next punch to Eliot's stomach hit home and Eliot doubled over. It was only for a second but it was enough for the other man to get on top of Eliot and pull him to the ground. The man tried to pin Eliot to the ground but Eliot got his senses back and rolled over so he was on top.

"Apologize," Eliot told the guard who was completely at the mercy of Eliot's raised fist.

"For what?" the guard spat, "Doing my job?"

"No," Eliot growled, "Apologize for beating up an innocent civilian because you weren't doing you job, and you decided to take it out on her."

"No," the guard spat again and this time he hit Eliot's face. Eliot wiped it off in disgust and pinned both the guard arms to his sides.

"Any last questions?" Eliot asked apparently giving up on the apology.

"Yea," the guard asked, "Who the hell are you guys?"

"We are thieves," Sophie said finally getting to vent in response to the man's criticism of the team's character. "We are Nate's teammates and we came back to rescue him, and we very rarely kill people which is why Eliot is going to knock you out instead of killing you in cold blood."

"How noble," the guard mocked.

"You better believe it buddy," Eliot said knocking the man out with a single blow, "because I would have killed you after what you said and did." Eliot toed the man to make sure he was really unconscious then he turned to Sophie, who was still slumped at the bottom of the wall where she had fallen. She was however sitting up strait. "Soph," Eliot asked gently, "what's hurt and don't tell me nothing because I know something is."

"My wrist is the only thing that I think is really bad," Sophie told him, "the rest is superficial." Eliot picked up Sophie's wrist, which was bent a little weirdly.

"Okay I am going to wrap this here," Eliot told her, "but I am going to have to rewrap better once we are outside of city limits." Sophie nodded and tried not to wince as Eliot tied it firmly around her wrist. "Alright," Eliot told her, "you can walk right?" He looked up and down the hall checking that it was still clear.

"Yes," Sophie replied, standing up, "and Eliot." Eliot turned back to look at Sophie. "Thank you for saving me," she told him, "I know you told me not to do that…"

"Hey," Eliot said, "your job was to get Nate out safely. You did that. My job was to protect the people on this team. I wish got her faster but we both did our jobs." They smiled at each other and started walking down the hall towards the elevator.

"Hardison," Sophie told him, "get the engine ready. We're coming down."

"Sophie," Nate's voice suddenly appeared in the conversation, "Sophie, are you okay?"

"I'm fine Nate," Sophie told him gently. "I will see you in a minute."

The elevator door's opened and Eliot swore as he saw who was standing in the lobby.

"What is it?" Tara asked apparently having gotten her ear piece back from Nate.

"We have a little friend here," Eliot growled.

"Who is it?" Tara asked worriedly.

"Sterling," Sophie replied looking at Eliot. Things just got a lot more interesting and not in a good way.

_**Yea…Cliff hanger…Wouldn't you just love to see how it goes down? Review and you will see much more quickly. Smiles innocently… until then...**_


	12. An Exit

_**Chapter 12. Wow this thing is my longest non NCIS story so far and it is third over all. We aren't done yet. I really didn't know what I was going to do with Sterling but my dad reminded of me from something in the story, which played out perfectly here. Enjoy.**_

_**Disclaimer: It is not mine in anyway shape or form.**_

_**Spoilers: The Maltese Falcon Job, **_

"Um how are we going to do this?" Eliot asked Sophie in a whisper as they watched Sterling from the elevator. He was surveying the lobby as if looking for some member on the team to prey upon.

"I'm working on it," she whispered back, "Give me a second."

"You could go back in the elevator and wait for Sterling to leave," Hardison suggested.

"They can't do that," Tara pointed out, "the minute they discover the guards are out and Nate is gone the building would go on lock down."

"You could exit through an air vent," Parker suggested.

"We don't have the equipment and Sophie has a broken wrist," Eliot replied quashing that plan as well.

There were a couple seconds of silence. "Can't you do something flashy with the computer and get Sterling out of the way?" Eliot asked Hardison annoyed.

"What to you want me to do?" Hardison asked, "Arrest warrants are paper."

"Sophie we are out of time Sterling is coming this way," Eliot told her.

Sophie took a deep breath. She had a plan but there was no guaranty that it would work because it left an awful lot to chance. They didn't have a choice. "Do you trust me?" Sophie asked Eliot.

"Of course," Eliot replied, "Why…"

"I am going to distract Sterling," Sophie told him, "you can walk right out the front door."

"Sophie," Eliot started.

"Look Eliot I am a grifter," she told him, "trust me. This is what I do."

"Alright," Eliot replied grudgingly, "whenever you say go."

"Go as soon as Sterling has his full attention on me," Sophie told him. Eliot nodded in response as Sophie stepped out of the elevator and started to walk across the lobby. Within seconds Sterling saw Sophie and walked straight over to her.

"Sophie Devereaux," Sterling said in a sickly sweet voice, "Back in town I see."

"You see correctly," Sophie said sweetly and calmly as Eliot speed walked across the lobby and towards the door.

"Where are the others?" Sterling asked looking around with narrowed eyes.

"They aren't around here," Sophie responded, "They said the risk was to high but I had to see Nate."

"And you think that you can walk right in the of the front door without getting in trouble?" Sterling asked her.

"Yes," she replied simply.

"You are on the Interpol most wanted list," he informed her.

"Really?" Sophie asked calmly, "Now I don't believe that." Sterling was getting increasingly aggravated by her calm manner and he was two steps shy of walking straight into her trap.

"Want me to prove it?" he threatened her.

"Alright," she replied still sweetly and calmly, "If you would like to."

That was the final straw for Sterling. "Security!" he shouted to the guards by the front desk. "This woman is on Interpol's most wanted list."

Sophie smiled. He had just run flying into that trap. The guard huddled around the computer, and looked from the computer to where Sterling and Sophie stood. They exchanged looks and started forward towards the pair.

One of them walked over to Sterling and placed handcuffs on his wrists. Sterling whipped around to face the guard; his face was red with anger. "She is on the list not me," Sterling said pointing at Sophie.

"Is this not a picture of you?" the guard asked brandishing a picture of Sterling under the title 'Interpol's Most Wanted'.

"It is but," Sterling tried to argue.

The guard was not interested. "Save it for the cops," he informed Sterling.

Sophie smiled at the guards. They smiled back at her. "Thank you gentlemen so much for getting dangerous criminal like him off the streets."

"Any time Ma'am," they told her.

Sophie then turned to Sterling and patted him on the upper arm. "In response to your earlier comment," she told him quietly so only he could hear, "not only do I think I can walk right in the front doors of the hospital, I think I can walk right back out them too."

With that Sophie turned away and started across the lobby for the door. Then she paused and walked back over to Sterling. Before he even knew what hit him her good hand flew up and made contact with his face. A crack and blood appearing on his face told her that she had broken his nose. "That," she told him in a low hiss, "is for arresting Nate and ratting the rest of us out."

Then with a smirk she walked away across the lobby. Sterling looked at the guards on either side of him. "Aren't you going to do something about that?" he demanded of them.

"Do something about what?" the guard on his left asked pretending to be confused.

Sterling looked to guard on his right for support but that guard wore a bemused look. He just looked at Sterling and said, "I didn't see anything. Now move."

Sophie smirked to herself she wanted to turn around and look at Sterling but she knew it would ruin the effect of her exit. She did not really even need to look anyway. She had seen him pissed of at her several time. He had almost mastered the expression. Of course watching him be led away in handcuffs would be pretty amusing… Her thoughts were cut short by someone calling her name.

She looked over to find the team waving her towards them. She walked over to where Tara, Hardison, Parker, and Eliot stood. As she joined them Eliot looked her up and down for new injuries and he spotted blood. "Sophie," he asked her slowly, "Are you bleeding?"

"What?' she asked confused. Then it clicked. "Oh, no," she told them, "I kind of punched Sterling and broke his nose."

There was a loud cheer from the people surrounding her. Hardison patted her on the back. "Now that's what I'm talking about," he told her before going around to start the van. Tara just nodded with a satisfied smirk and walked around to the passenger seat.

Parker looked at Sophie for a moment before she spoke. "I hope it hurt," she grinned wickedly, "A lot." Eliot for once completely agreed with Parker's off the wall statement and together they climbed into the truck. Once the door closed Hardison hit the gas and pulled into traffic.

_**So did you like it? I thought it turned out pretty good. For the record. Having Sophie punch Sterling was not entirely my idea. Minderismeer actually suggested and it sounded like fun so I went with it. Anyway. Hope you like it. Please Review.**_


	13. Some Painkillers

**_Chapter 13. Well we are out of the real plot and it is just the emotional wrap up. This is the beginning of the end. Enjoy._**

_**Disclaimer: Not mine.**_

_**Spoilers: none…I think**_

As soon as the truck was a sufficient distance away from the hospital Sophie tried to stand up, but Eliot pulled her down again. She looked him in surprise.

"We are in a moving vehicle and I still need to rewrap your wrist," Eliot reminded her. Reluctantly she sat back down on the floor and held out her wrist to Eliot, who carefully unwrapped and rewrapped it.

"Can I go talk to Nate now?" she asked exasperatedly.

"I still don't think," Eliot started but he was cut off by Parker. The thief seemed to have taken up Sophie's cause and did the first thing she could think of to distract him. She kissed him. Eliot turned his full, very startled, attention to Parker and Sophie started to crawl forward to where Nate was.

"What the hell was that?" Eliot asked the thief.

"A distraction," she told him.

"And you couldn't have though of anything else?" Eliot asked her annoyed.

"Well I could have," she told him slowly then she smiled wickedly, "but this was more fun."

"There is something wrong with you," Eliot told her shaking his head.

"I know," Parker said smiling happily.

Sophie had managed to make in to the front of the holding area of the truck where Nate was sitting. He was in the corner with his hand to his stomach.

"How are you feeling?" she asked him sitting down beside him.

"I'm good. I'm fine," he replied, "How are you?"

"I'm great," she replied with a smile.

"You know most people wouldn't classify a black eye and a broken wrist as fine," he told her.

"Most people wouldn't classify a bullet wound as fine," Sophie returned gently.

"It doesn't hurt," Nate told her, "they gave me painkillers." There was a long pause in their conversation while they just sat next to each other.

At the other end of the truck Eliot sighed. Painkillers often impaired people's reactions and ability to function. That was why he never took them. When on painkillers people often say things they don't mean or things they mean but take back later because they are scared. Eliot hoped that Nate would not fall into this trap. He seemed to be doing all right but you could never tell where the conversation would lead. Eliot just hoped that neither one of them got hurt.

Nate's eyelids had begun to drop and Sophie moved over so he could lie down. He did so and without thinking about it used her lap as a pillow. She looked down at him. It reminded her of a time several years before when he had been knocked out while pursuing her in the streets Madrid.

FLASHBACK

Nate blinked his eyes a few times before he opened them. He looked around expecting to see the blank white of the hospital but only seeing clay walls of a little hut. He blinked a few more times to see if he was imagining his surroundings. He wasn't. Suddenly he noticed that he was not alone and he was not lying on the cold, hard ground.

He pulled himself up so he could lean against the wall of the hut. He looked around at the hut to find the other person who was there with him. He chuckled a little when he saw who it was.

"Most thieves continue running when the cop pursuing them gets hit by a car," Nate told her shaking his head.

Sophie laughed her tinkling little laugh. "I couldn't just leave you there," she told him.

"You could have," he replied.

"But you knew I wouldn't," she told him, "I don't like leaving people out in the cold under any circumstances, but you have a family to take care of."

"Does this mean you are going to give me that lovely painting I know is around here somewhere?" Nate asked her half teasing her and half hoping that she would give it up. He had caught up with her a couple of times and he had always let her go in exchange for whatever she had taken.

"Dream on," she told him with a smile, "now get better." She patted him on the cheek and walked out of the hut. Nate shook his head. He had not missed that she had reached out and grabbed a rolled up item before she left. He also would have sworn that she had flourished it at him, and knowing her as he did she probably did. He laughed at himself as another woman walked in. He knew that this was Sophie's style: help him and protect him and then escape.

END FLASHBACK

Nate looked up at her in much the same way he had done all those years ago. Even in the dim lighting of the truck, she looked beautiful. It was never ceased to amaze him just how beautiful she could be. "You look beautiful tonight," he told her sleepily. Normally Nate would never have said anything of the sort but painkillers made people do funny things.

Sophie laughed lightly at his statement. Nate was not usually one for flattery but she was pretty sure that this was. She had not slept soundly since she had left the team several months before and she was sure the strain was starting to show. Additionally she had spent the last twenty-four hours in full con mode, which took a lot out of her on a normal con…and this was not. On top of that, she had been attacked and beaten by two men significantly bigger than her.

"I love you," Nate told her. Sophie looked down at him, but he was asleep. She looked around at Eliot trying to figure out what had just happened. Eliot knew that Sophie needed to hear those words more than anything but she also need to be able to believe them. That was why he wanted her to wait until Nate was off his meds. Painkillers make people do stupid things.

_**Did you like it? I will admit that I wrote the last three paragraph's half asleep so I think they make sense but I am not really sure. Oh and the Parker/Eliot…take it how you will…I ship them…I know most people don't so take it as shipperness or Parker being random…Review please.**_


	14. The Words

**_Chapter 14. Well this is the next to last chapter. It is pretty much wrapping up the character conflicts…I hope you enjoy it._**

_**Disclaimer: I ownith not thy characters nor thy show**_

_**Spoilers: Two Live Crew Jobs, Bottle Job…ish, **_

They drove all night and well into the morning. Tara and Hardison switched back and forth at the wheel so the other could sleep for a few hours. The others had all fallen asleep in the back of the truck. Nate still had his head in Sophie's lap but she had long since fallen asleep leaning against the wall of the truck. At the other side of truck Parker and Eliot had both tried to stay away but they had both lost out to sleep in the wee hours of the morning. The two were currently sprawled on the floor next to each other on the floor.

In the cab of the truck Tara looked over at Hardison. She had taken the wheel from him about two hundred miles ago and he was fast asleep. They had not talked to each other the entire trip. Neither on knew where they were going. They were just driving to get away. Finally at about ten o'clock Tara picked an exit on the interstate and took it.

The sharp turn off the interstate awoke Hardison, who looked over at Tara groggily. "Where are we?" he asked her.

"I'm not really sure," she replied shrugging, "Does it matter?"

"As long as it's not Boston or Los Angeles or Vegas," Eliot's voice chimed in via the earpieces they were all still wearing, "We can be any where you like."

"Why not Vegas?" Tara asked, "Did you work there before LA?"

"No," Eliot replied, "I just don't really want to be the one responsible for letting Sophie and Nate lose in Vegas together."

"Excellent point," Tara replied, "I think we are in the great city of Atlanta."

"Any particular reason," Sophie asked sleepily.

"It is a big city with lots of people," Tara said. She paused before adding, "I was tired of driving and this was a nice looking exit."

"Both excellent reasons," Eliot told her.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Several hours later they had all made themselves at home in the house that Tara had conveniently remembered she owned in Atlanta. Tara had gone upstairs and crashed almost as soon as they got there because she had been driving almost all night. Hardison had called dibbs on one of the guest bedrooms for much the same reason and was also passed out up stairs.

Eliot and Parker had helped move the still sleeping Nate from the van into the house and then they had both disappeared upstairs to see what movies Tara had. After a little arguing they agreed on 'Speed.' Eliot popped it into the DVD player and they both settled back to watch it on the upstairs TV.

Down in the living room Nate was laid out on the couch, still asleep. Sophie was sitting next to him in the large comfy chair that Tara had won off her years ago in a game of poker. She had always wondered where it had gone.

Sophie had got her brush out of her bag and started to try and pull through the knots in her hair, just for something to do. She had brushed it through several times before Nate started to stir. She put her brush away and looked at him. He did not look at her. In fact he pointedly looked the other way as he got up and walked towards the kitchen. She stood up and followed him.

He walked into the kitchen looking for one thing and one thing only. It did not take him long to find where Tara kept her liquor and he pulled out a bottle and a glass. He poured himself a generous severing and was about to take a step when Sophie stopped him.

"Don't do this," she told him putting her hand on top of the glass, "not again."

"Why not?" he asked her annoyed, "Why not?"

"Because you have already been there once and you hurt people you care," Sophie was going to continue but Nate cut her off.

"I hurt people I care about?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied with a sinking feeling that she knew exactly where he was going.

"What about you?" he asked, "You hurt people you care about too. You just left. You walked out on us. We needed you and you left us." He paused. "You left me. That's why I started drinking again because I didn't have anyone to stop me."

"Nate I left because I needed to figure out who I really was," Sophie reminded him gently but firmly, "But I was there for the team when they called and I came back. I came back for you."

"You came back for me?" he asked looking at her.

Sophie could not figure out what they were doing at the moment. It was the strangest mix of argument and heartfelt conversation. They were both angry at each other and on the other hand they were too worried and cared too much about each other to have a full blown fight at the moment. Sophie nodded in response to his question.

Nate looked at her for a long moment and then he looked down at the glass of liquor. He drank because she had walked away from him. If she had come back to him the there was no reason for him to drink. He also knew that doing what he was about to do would make her very happy and he liked that thought. He picked up the liquor glass and poured it down the sink. Then he put away the bottle.

"Thank you," she told him. They both walked back into the living room and sat down on the couch. Neither one of them spoke for a long time, but Nate watched Sophie carefully. She was chewing on her lower lip, which was something she did when and only when she was considering doing something and it had come down to whether to follow her head or her heart.

"What is on you mind?" he asked her.

"Nothing," she replied automatically before remembering that lying to him was pointless. His glare confirmed this recollection. "You said some stuff while you were on painkillers," she mumbled.

Nate froze. He hated taking painkillers because they reduced his judgment. "Sophie," he asked very slowly, "What did I say?"

His hesitation confirmed her worst suspicions. "Just some stuff about me being beautiful and," Sophie stopped. Nate let out a sigh. That was defiantly not a lie or something he was ashamed to have told her. She was absolutely gorgeous…even with a black eye.

"What was the and?" he asked.

"You said that you loved me," she said very quietly then quickly added in a single breath, "but I know that was just the painkillers talking and not you."

Nate looked at her for a long moment. That was not the way he would have preferred to tell that he loved her but he all knew that now he had to confirm it or she would get the wrong impression.

"It was the painkillers talking but only because I was never brave enough to say it out loud," he admitted to her.

She had not seen this side of Nate in a very long time because it was the soft side he kept hidden from everyone. "You meant it?" she asked.

He looked her straight in the eyes. "Every single word of it," he confirmed, "you are beautiful and I love you."

_**Did you like this last bit? I was kind of fond of not wanting to let Nate and Sophie lose in Vegas...One more chapter after this and it will be up a week from today, which is the day before the leverage season opener. Before that happens review this chapter. Please.**_


	15. A New Beginning

**_Chapter 15. This is now officially my second longest story. This is the last chapter because as I am sure we all know, Leverage returns tomorrow. So here is the last big hurrah…or something. Anyway. Here is the last chapter and I hope you enjoy it._**

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**_

_**Spoilers: Really quite honestly I don't think so…**_

Sophie looked at him for a long moment. She had dreamed about hearing those words come out of his mouth literally for years. She had come up with a dozen different ways to react when and if they did. She just sat there and looked at him without doing anything. Then as if waking from a trance, Sophie spoke. "I love you, too."

Before they could do anything else, there was an excited scream. They both whirled around to face the other people who had entered the room. Eliot, Parker, Hardison, and Tara were all standing there. Hardison looked embarrassed. Parker looked excited. Eliot and Tara were amused. Sophie turned deep pink.

Parker turned to face the other three. "Pay up," she told the gleefully. Hardison, Eliot, and Tara all grudgingly took out their wallets and handed Parker decent sums of money.

"You had a bet on us," Sophie half accused and half asked.

"Oh like you don't know that there are at least three other bets in play," Tara replied.

"Four if you count the one on whether or not you were going to kill Nate," Parker told Tara.

Tara glared around at the other five. "Who started that one?" she asked.

"I did," Sophie replied.

"Let me get this straight," Nate started, "You guys have been running secret bets about the team for how long?"

"Since we started the team," Eliot replied.

"And you had a bet on whether Sophie and I would…what exactly?" Nate asked.

"It was more a bet on when than a bet on if," Eliot explained.

"On when you two would stop dancing around it and just admit you love each other," Parker said happily.

Nate and Sophie looked at each other. Neither one knew exactly what to say to this. After a moment Sophie shrugged and Nate nodded. Their basic stand was that they had no clue what was going on, they were probably happier that way. It was safer to just change the subject.

"We need a game plan," Sophie said as Nate opened his mouth. He looked at her a little strangely, while the others sat down and tried not to laugh. "Right."

"Go ahead," Nate told her, "You actually know what is going on right now." Sophie smiled at him a little flirtatiously causing Tara to roll her eyes.

"Alright we need a to decide a couple of things," Sophie told the team, "First are we going to keep doing what we are doing?"

"If you mean helping people who have no where to turn," Eliot said, "Then the answer is yes." The others all nodded in agreement.

"Then we need a new city," Sophie told them.

Nate paled. "What is wrong with Boston?" he asked.

"We are wanted fugitives," Tara reminded him.

"What about Atlanta?" Eliot suggested, "I'm sure there are plenty of people to help here. It is a big city and no where close to Boston or LA." The team looked around seeing if anyone had any objections to plan or the city. No one did.

"Atlanta it is," Sophie told them. There was one more question that she had to ask but really did not want to. Thankfully Nate knew what it was and asked for her.

"What do you plan to do now?" he asked the blonde grifter.

Tara opened her mouth to answer but closed it again because she did not know what to say. She had always thought that it would be easy to break away from the team because it had been easy to break away from every group before. She worked really hard not to get attached to people and this job had seemed just like any other. She knew she could not stay because things in her past that would catch up with her if she stayed and so that left her with one choice. She did not like it but she played her cards long ago. Now she had to live with the consequences.

"I'm going out on my own," Tara told them. She spoke to all of them but she looked at Sophie because Sophie was the only other person who knew what Tara's motivation was.

"If you ever want to come back," Sophie told her friend, "you are more than welcome."

"Thank you," Tara replied, "If you guys want to stay here you can."

"Thank you," Nate told her, "we will miss your contributions to the team." Tara smiled at this knowing perfectly well that she had always been their second choice to Sophie but she was okay with that.

The others started to have a conversation with Tara about where she was going and what she would do, while Nate turned to Sophie. "Soph," he told her, "I have to go back to Boston at least for a little while. There is something I need to get."

Sophie smiled at him. "Would it by any chance be this?" Sophie reached into the interior pocket on her jacket and pulled out a battered piece of paper. Nate took it from her and unfolded it to find the drawing his son had done all those years ago.

He looked at Sophie, "How?"

"I know you Nate," she said taking his hand in hers, "I got it from your apartment before we left Boston."

Nate smiled down at the picture in his left hand and then up at the woman holding his right hand. The picture represent to him a time that was now several years in the past. The life he had lived with Sam and Maggie seemed to have been forever ago and yet he still held it dear. He did not know what his relationship status was with Sophie but he knew that he loved her and she loved him. That was all he had ever really needed to know. He may have broken his first family a long time ago, but he was not alone. These people had cared enough to risk everything including their lives to save him. That meant the world to him.

They were all starting a new page in Atlanta as they had in Los Angeles and as they had in Boston. Each time they moved they left almost everything behind and yet they still had what mattered most. They still had each other. None of them knew what adventures lay in wait for them in this city and none of them knew what was going to happen but that was okay. As long as they stayed together as a team they would be just fine…

**_So there it is. I hope you liked it. It would be awesome if you review it. If anyone wants one more chapter I did a little story called The Things That We Do. It is Tara's look on things and it could follow this or stand alone._**

_**(fanfiction).net/s/6048482/1/The_Things_That_We_Do**_

_**Anyway I hoped you like this story.**_


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